The APS proposal, initiated in 2019, calls for the line to follow Beaverhead Flat Road underground until reaching the Kel Fox Trail, at which point the line would be constructed as an overhead line, which would require realigning 3.6 miles of the trail.
The BPRCC, a nongovernmental nonprofit, had advertised that District Ranger Alex Schlueter, Coconino National Forest Environmental Coordinator Mike Dechter and APS Northern Division Director Frank Sanderson or Public Affairs Manager Darla Deville had confirmed they would be attending the meeting.
However, Schlueter informed BPRCC by email at 6:54 p.m. the day before the meeting that he would not be attending.
“I believe the way the meeting has been framed sets inaccurate expectations likely to lead to more frustration in the community rather than a productive conversation,” Schlueter wrote. “Specifically, the Forest Service is not soliciting public comments outside of objections and eligible objectors are only those who have previously submitted timely, specific written comments during the specified public comment periods.”
APS staff canceled at 1:38 p.m. on Feb. 19 after being notified of USFS’ withdrawal.
“We weren’t going to be speaking at all,” Deville said. “We were going to be there to hear and to listen. My understanding, after speaking with — the Forest Service was going to be speaking for 20 minutes to half an hour, and then there were going to be some comments.”
No communication was made by BPRCC leaders to potential meeting attendees that the USFS and APS had withdrawn from the meeting.
“Unfortunately, at the very last moment, [the Forest Service] chose not to attend; they are not here tonight,” BPRCC President Susan Barber said. “And the APS folks that were supposed to be here tonight are also not here.”
The audience responded with jeers.
“We are an all-volunteer organization,” Barber said with regard to the lack of communication.” Many work full-time, have other volunteer duties and family responsibilities in addition to our work with BPRCC. That day, we were scrambling to revise and finalize the presentation. In a perfect world, the meeting notice would have been updated, the website updated, the Facebook page updated, but, sorry to say, we missed it. And while we were sorely disappointed that [USFS] was no longer going to attend, it didn’t change the purpose of the meeting.”
“Ultimately, the incremental scenic effect of the transmission line to residences near the project area and broad findings of the scientific literature, which fail to conclude transmission lines result in decline of property values, make it highly unlikely that the proposed overhead alternative would result in measurable effects to property values,” the Forest Service stated in a response to public comments. “The analysis concludes that due to factors including vegetation types, terrain, lack of continuity of fuels, fire history and the location of the transmission line alignment primarily along main travelways, the proposed overhead transmission line results in a minimal risk of wildfire impacts to adjacent communities.”
Residents and BPRCC have complained that overhead lines would pose an additional fire risk and spoil views, while APS has argued that the line would improve reliability and provide a backup power supply to the VOC and McGuireville in case of storms and wildfires.
The meeting documents stated that BPRCC “supports studying the feasibility of a microgrid community containing a solar-generated source of energy and relying as needed, on conventional power from APS.”
“A microgrid would not result in improved redundancy or resiliency of the power grid at the scale of the regional Verde Valley power grid,” the Forest Service response stated. “Even if a microgrid is developed in the vicinity of the VOC, its capacity would be limited, would likely not be adequate to support the [VOC] during a prolonged outage and would not contribute to reliability or redundancy for all of the other communities throughout the Verde Valley.”
Residents asked during the meeting if the line would be included in APS’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program, which preemptively cuts power to areas when APS staff believe there is an elevated fire risk.
Spokeswoman Yessica Del Rincón subsequently said that the proposed line “will not be classified under our Public Safety Power Shutoff program.”
“This new power line will receive the same level of robust maintenance and preventative work that the rest of our infrastructure receives through our wildfire mitigation program,” Rincón said. “That includes regular inspections by lineworkers and upgrades in equipment when necessary, working with the [USFS] and other land management partners to routinely clear dry brush and hazardous vegetation from the base of poles that have devices installed on them and maintaining clear overhead power lines and removing dry trees that can pose a fire risk.”
Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Nikki Check [D], who was in attendance, said that she would mention the concerns during an upcoming meeting with the Forest Service on Feb. 21.
“If BPRCC chooses to submit an objection, an objection resolution meeting may be possible at the discretion of the reviewing official,” Schlueter said.
The Coconino National Forest’s website states that a final decision is expected to be made in May, followed by construction work beginning in June.
